Modern dental offices are equipped with a variety of instruments for cleaning, drilling and performing other tasks relating to the teeth and gums of patients.
Typically, air under pressure is used to drive the "turbines" of drills and similar devices. Additionally, water is injected under pressure into the mouth to clean debris and the debris and water are removed via suction tubes. Also, cuspidors are employed whereby the patient periodically spits out accumulated water and debris.
A significant problem with all of these systems is that the debris, which includes metal fragments, amalgam and other hard matter quickly clog up the tubes and holes and slits of the devices employed.
At present, the only solution for removing clogging of drill handpieces is to send them back to the manufacturer who disassembles and cleans them. In this regard, it might be noted that drills, jets for emitting abrasives (such as those sold as "Prophy Jet" by Dentsply International, Inc.) etc., are often sold with thin wires, but these are generally ineffective to remove clogs, especially those which are far into the device and inaccessible to such wires. Even when cleaning of such equipment can be done in the office, a service technician is employed.
The failure of dental equipment occurs at various intervals and depends on the specific instrument and degree of use. However, clogging occurs with many devices quite often. When the clogged equipment is essential to the ability of the operatory to function, e.g., the cuspidors or suction lines, the dentist must shut down his/her entire system until the units are cleaned, which downtime is tremendously expensive for the dentist.